


Aura's Stories

by Sigilmancy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24858667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sigilmancy/pseuds/Sigilmancy
Summary: Stories about a changeling cleric
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Aura's Stories

Night was approaching fast, and Aura was afraid. Slumped against a tree, her heart beating so loudly in its terror that she thought for sure it would attract the unwanted attention of the creatures around her. Yet she had the perfect disguise; as one of their own. Her skin as rotted as theirs, and the stench of death around her thanks to a dead rodent in her pack. So the undead paid her no mind, their senses too dull beyond sight and smell to recognize much, and the sun set beyond the horizon. With the lack of light to degenerate them faster the hoard began to move back towards the village so that soon enough their moans were a distant sound and she was alone in the oppressive darkness.

She knew what she was supposed to do, but it was too much. She didn't think she could pull herself up on her shaking legs, manage to find some way to navigate a world she could not see, and hopefully get away from the area where the undead were most present to find some help for her village. Only the knowledge that the sound would attract any stragglers kept her from crying then, knees pulled to her chest and face buried as the girl tried to breathe carefully. Survival instinct overrode emotion and even her age to a degree, but that was all it could do knowing she was safe where she was as long as she remained in disguise.

Prayers ran through her head. Not just the general ones that the priest had taught her, but those for the god of the dead - Aura remembered being told that he disliked the undead, for while they were all dangerous the unintelligent ones were also suffering, likely reanimated by force, and the intelligent ones posed an even bigger threat to the greater world. She mouthed the words of prayer to this god, asking with everything in her tiny body for him to come down and smite the undead so everyone could be safe and maybe she wouldn't have to run for help. Just as Aura thought the prayers were not being heard, or worse yet that the god was ignoring her, light began to blossom from the small hunting knife in her hands. A dull glow, just enough to see by as the blade remained in a sheath and only an exposed strip at the top was illuminating things now. Something Aura could cover if she needed to hide, or pull out if she needed more, and with this phonemona a wave of hope washed through her. Warmth, not from the knife itself but from the sense that someone else was there, a hand on her shoulder like the priest in the village always did when he gave her guidance or encouragement.

"Run."

That single word echoed in her mind from an unknown voice, and it gave her strength. Aura took a deep breath and pulled herself to her feet, steadying herself against the tree for a moment as her legs ached from the awkward position she had been sitting in. The world around her faded away, and Aura saw only the path in front of her by whatever force had given her knife the light. One foot in front of the other, as fast as she could go without running into anything or tripping on the hidden roots of the forest. That became her focus as survival instincts kicked in, the only thing she could do to keep going. Reach the next village, tell them what was going on, and leave it to the adults to hopefully get help and save everyone else.


End file.
